1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water cooler and more particularly to a water cooler that supplies cooled water directly to a commercial or residential plumbing system.
2. Background of the Related Art
In climates in which ambient temperatures reach high levels, the temperature of a water source can be affected. In such situations, the temperature of a water source can reach levels that make that water unusable for many standard applications. By way of example, warm water is unpleasant for drinking purposes unless it is first chilled. The preparation of certain foods requires the use of cool water. Similarly, general hygienic practices, such as showering, become uncomfortable or unbearable in warm conditions when there is no source of cool water. Many types of clothes and linens require laundering in cold water only and will be damaged if laundered in warm water. Furthermore, the relief from hot temperatures offered by a cool shower or cool drink is not an option when only warm and hot water are available.
At the present time, water coolers used to provide cool drinking water are well known. In these water coolers, water is supplied to a reservoir from removable water bottles or an installed water line. The water in the reservoir is cooled and stored until dispensed from a valve connected to the reservoir. These common water coolers suffer from several disadvantages.
Current water coolers are used to supply cool water for drinking purposes. They provide no practical means for utilizing the cooled water for other purposes that benefit from a cool water supply, such as food preparation, bathing or laundering.
Cooled water is typically dispensed at the valve connected directly to the water cooler. These water coolers are not intended to supply cool water for use throughout a plumbing system. There is no method by which cooled water from the reservoirs can be made available to the remainder of the plumbing system. A standard plumbing system will have numerous outputs, none of which will have access to the cool water produced by a typical water cooler.
Current water coolers supply cool water in limited volumes. The volumes of cool water made available by these systems are restricted by several factors. The size of the replaceable water bottle supplying the water to the water cooler is one such limitation. In water coolers supplied by a water line, the volume of cool water provided is restricted by the maximum output flow of the dispenser installed in the water cooler and by the rate at which these apparatuses cool water that is constantly flowing through the reservoir.
Common water coolers chill water within a single undivided reservoir. Warm water entering the reservoir flows unrestricted into the reservoir. As a result, there is direct thermal mixing of the warm water entering the reservoir with the cooled water already in the reservoir and the resulting output water is warmer.
Water chillers are also well known. They are capable of producing large volumes of cooled water. These chillers are commonly used to cool circulated air in commercial air conditioning systems and to cool machinery in industrial settings. The cooled water of a typical water chiller flows in a closed-loop system. As such, the cooled water produced in such a system is not available for any uses outside the system.
The invention of the present disclosure addresses limitations associated with the prior art.